The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Physician, researcher, and author Dr. Rick Johnson chats with Trey Elling about NATURE WANTS US TO BE FAT: THE SURPRISING SCIENCE BEHIND WHY WE GAIN WEIGHT AND HOW WE CAN PREVENT--AND REVERSE--IT. Topics include: The book's goal (0:00) When & why excess weight is beneficial to animals (2:32) Why humans evolved to be so sensitive to fructose (8:40) Uric acid's connection to fructose and weight gain (17:36) Negative health effects of fructose consumption beyond excess fat (26:17) The line where salt goes from good to bad (35:05)

Washington Post food expert Mary Beth Albright chats with Trey Elling about EAT & FLOURISH: HOW FOOD SUPPORTS EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. Topics include: The book's inspiration (0:28) "How" we eat impacting mental health (2:09) The health benefits of eating together (4:32) How the nervous system connects food and emotions (7:47) Sound as the secret sensory ingredient to food (9:49) Celebrating accomplishments with food (15:25) The science of "hangry" (16:07) The benefits of switching from an ultra-processed to Mediterranean diet (18:30) How ultra-processed foods change our brains (21:33) Blood sugar spikes and accelerated food cravings (23:46) Comfort food (25:29) The sense of smell and mood (27:16) The gut microbiome and mood (29:27) "Diet" (34:21) Prebiotics (37:49) Chronic inflammation and emotional well-being (40:11) The microbiome's effect on excess weight (43:34) High-carb versus high-protein breakfasts and decision-making (44:21) The book's recipes (48:06)

Multi-platinum record producer-turned-neuroscientist Susan Rodgers chats with Trey Elling about THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: WHAT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE SAYS ABOUT YOU. Susan is best known for her work with Prince during his peak creative years (1983-87).  Susan’s unique path from award-winning sounder engineer and record producer to neuroscientist (1:43) How Miles Davis changed her perspective on listening to music (3:40) The beauty of record pulls (7:36) The messy “brilliance” of The Shaggs (11:37) What we visualize when we listen to music (15:52) Why a preference for ‘real’ versus ‘abstract’ isn’t consistent across artistic mediums (19:34) The connection between novelty and an appetite for risk (22:21) A McGill study on the link between musical novelty and mental rewards (28:41) Why the melody is a record’s heart (29:55) Songs whose lyrics and instrumentation tell different stories (33:36) Ambiguity as a valuable lyrical tool (34:52) How the Barenaked Ladies fooled Susan’s brother with fictitious lyrics (37:06) Rhythm as Susan’s favorite musical dimension (38:29) Evidence that some animals can experience musical rhythm (41:25) Explaining timbre (45:48) How Susan received a lesson on the power of timbre from Prince with “When Doves Cry” (48:43) The importance of synthetic listening to music producers (53:18) What happens in the brain when we feel ‘love at first listen’ with a song (58:26)

New York Times Bestselling author Jeff Pearlman chats with Trey Elling about THE LAST FOLK HERO: THE LIFE AND MYTH OF BO JACKSON. Topics include: How he got the nickname "Bo" (0:26) Why young Bo cleaned his act (1:30) Bo the high school football player (3:16) Choosing college football over pro baseball and Auburn over Alabama (4:06) How Bo helped "kill" Bear Bryant (5:39) Bo's first season in college baseball (8:18) Bo showing his human side (11:56) Bo's The Natural moment in college (13:25) Bo's soap opera life when he won the Heisman (16:15) Bo's senior baseball season ending abruptly (17:52) Bo's terrible first impression with his future Royals teammates (19:40) How Bo ended up in pro football, despite insisting otherwise (20:34) Bo befuddling Matt Millen in his first practice with the Raiders (22:17) Bo killing The Boz (23:14) Why Bo was an a-hole when he returned to Royals spring training (24:42) The Kevin Seitzer incident (25:55) The "Bo Knows" ad campaign (27:18) Bo running up and down an outfield wall (29:52) The hip injury (31:59) Returning to baseball after the injury (33:22) Techmo Bo (34:03) Bo's enriching 1993 baseball season (35:17) Bo's penile legend (36:07) Bo's role in the Nolan Ryan-Robin Ventura brawl (37:06) The hardest part of writing a biography on Bo (38:38)

Humanitarian Nate Boyer chats with Trey Elling about MVP, a film Nate co-wrote, directed, and starred in. Topics include: The starting point for this project (:30) When it was decided he would play the lead AND direct (5:46) Relating to the most emotional moments in the film (12:12) One of the themes in the film that everyone is f-ed up. (17:25) Nate's thoughts on Longhorn football under Steve Sarkisian (27:45) Whether Nate is optimistic or pessimistic on America's direction (32:38)

Actor Frank Grillo chats with Trey Elling about LAMBORGHINI: THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN BEHIND LEGEND. The film tells the wild story of Ferruccio Lamborghini, played by Frank, and what it took to create one of the most recognizable luxury sports car brands on the planet. Topics include: Whether Frank broke his disciplined diet white shooting on location in Italy (1:11) How Frank pulled off the Italian accent (2:51) A surprising detail from Ferruccio Lamborghini's story (3:55) Riding in a $28-million-dollar Lambo (5:16) What Frank loves about the film (6:07)

Award-winning writer David Sax chats with Trey Elling about THE FUTURE IS ANALOG: HOW TO CREATE A MORE HUMAN WORLD. Topics include: How the pandemic exposed the flaws of going too digital (0:22) The value of working at an office with your coworkers (3:28) The false promises of technology evolving education (18:45) What schools could learn from kindergarten (26:42) The initial vision of e-commerce vs what it became in this era of Amazon (36:19) The analog value of cities (45:38) The importance of shared, live experiences (49:32) Analog conversations healing loneliness and depression through "social prescribing" (54:09) Unplugging for the good of the soul (59:25) David's thoughts on the Metaverse (1:07:05)

Two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and her trainer & fiancé Pat Barry chat with Trey Elling about THUG ROSE: MIXED MARTIAL ARTIST from the red carpet, prior to its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The film documents the highs and lows from Rose's life and career. Pat Barry (0:00) Rose Namajunas (3:37)

Rose Namajunas and Marius Markevicius chat with Trey Elling about THUG ROSE: MIXED MARTIAL ARTIST. The documentary about Namajunas' life and career, directed by Markevicius, premieres on November 9th on UFC Fight Pass.

James Beard- and Emmy-winning chef, tv personality, and author Jacques Pépin chats with Trey Elling about ART OF THE CHICKEN: A MASTER CHEF'S PAINTINGS, STORIES, AND RECIPES OF THE HUMBLE BIRD. Topics include: What he loves about chickens (1:32) Giving recipes in a narrative style (3:05) Cooking over live fire (5:28) Working at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris (6:29) Moving from France to NYC in 1959 (7:43) Choosing Howard Johnson over the Kennedy White House (8:39) Making chicken cracklings (13:18) The value of a cooked chicken carcass (14:41) Deboning chickens, quickly and correctly (15:00) Why he & Julia Child were lampooned by SNL (15:47) Eggs, the MOST valuable ingredient (18:41) A love for painting AND painting chickens (19:19)